DongJingfo Temple of Meng Ding

In the main hall of the Buddhist temple, there are a gold statue of Sakyamuni and 22 statues of the Laughing Budda (Mile Buddha or Buddha of the future). This temple is particularly notable in southeastern Asian countries because it is home to the Buddha relic of Sakyamuni. According to the archeological record, after Sakyamuni passed away and was cremated, his bone, called “sarīra” in Sanskrit, was divided into eight shares, which were distributed across the region. The Buddha’s holy relic or sarīra was believed to bear the Buddha’s supreme power and thus be able to save all the lives on the earth. One of the eight shares was buried and worshipped in this temple. When the restoration of the temple was launched in 1994, 69 Buddha statues and a large quantity of jewelry, bronze statues and small pagodas were found in the site. Among the unearthed two pieces of bronze inscriptions mention the historical event of burying the Buddha’s holy bone here. One piece of 3 cm long transparent finger-like crystal is the holy bone, the discovery of which makes the temple more mysterious, holy and attractive to Buddhist followers from all over the world.